The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to an arrangement for mounting a compressor in a refrigerator.
Most refrigerators, particularly those sold for common household use, include a mechanical compartment or chamber for mounting various refrigeration components, such as a compressor, a condenser and/or an evaporator. Depending on the particular model type, the mechanical compartment can be in a lower or upper region of the refrigerator. In either case, the mechanical compartment includes a support base onto which the refrigeration component(s) is mounted. When activated, many of the refrigeration components, including fans associated with the compressor and evaporator, vibrate. Unless properly attenuated, the vibration will be amplified by the refrigerator and result in noise at potentially unacceptable levels. Given that consumers demand quiet appliances, any noise generated must be reduced to absolute minimum levels. To alleviate this problem, the refrigeration components are typically mounted to the support base through a vibration isolation element or damper. For instance, it is known to use an elastomeric grommet or other resilient material as both a damper and a support for the refrigeration component.
The use of a vibration isolating arrangement is particularly important in connection with the mounting of the refrigerator compressor. With this in mind, manufacturers have been known to employ a wide array of mounting arrangements to secure a compressor in a refrigerator. Typically, a stud or other fastener receiving element is secured to the support base. In arrangements that make use of a stud, a grommet or other dampening device is positioned about the stud, and the compressor is secured to a plate through the stud, while being supported on the grommet. At this point, a nut or other threaded fastener is secured to the stud to hold the compressor in place. In other arrangements, a bolt is passed through the grommet and fastened to a threaded opening provided in the support base.
Despite the various mounting arrangements described in the prior art, there still exists a need for an enhanced mounting arrangement for refrigeration components. More specifically, there exists a need for a mounting arrangement that can secure a compressor in a refrigerator which can more effectively attenuate any vibrations developed during operation. In particular, there is a need for a refrigerator compressor mounting arrangement which is designed to, among other things, have a tuned mechanical stiffness and provide enhanced mechanical shock protection, preferably while permitting both lateral and fore-to-aft shifting of the compressor.